Junior safety Henry making the most of second chance

Friday

Apr 23, 2010 at 12:01 AMApr 23, 2010 at 11:22 PM

Illinois junior safety Trulon Henry doesn't plan on seeking a third chance. Just getting a second one was hard enough. After serving more than four years in federal prison for armed robbery, Henry, a junior-college transfer from College of DuPage and older brother of former Illini star receiver Arrelious Benn, found it difficult to open doors with a felony conviction on his record.

John Supinie

Illinois junior safety Trulon Henry doesn't plan on seeking a third chance. Just getting a second one was hard enough.

After serving more than four years in federal prison for armed robbery, Henry, a junior-college transfer from College of DuPage and older brother of former Illini star receiver Arrelious Benn, found it difficult to open doors with a felony conviction on his record.

"I have to be close to perfect now because I can't afford to make a mistake or mess up,'' Henry said. "With that in mind, I try to play it safe. Do the right thing all across the board. Be a team player. Don't miss lifts. Try to do everything right. You can't gamble on getting a third chance.''

Heading into the Illinois spring football game at Memorial Stadium Saturday (1 p.m., free admission), Henry has worked his way up the depth chart. In a deep battle, he made headway in spring drills and can see himself as a starter. So can defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, who moved him to first string this week.

"The other guys at that position understand that right now, Trulon is outplaying them,'' Koenning said. "He's got the best tackling technique of anybody in the secondary.''

The physical 6-foot-2, 225-pound Henry's strength is "coming down on the run,'' Koenning said. That's a good thing for a defense maligned by Koenning for its poor tackling. Henry knows he'll see the field whether as a starter, a backup or a special teams ace.

"I've surprised myself,'' Henry said. "I was just coming in, trying to work hard and see the field. Now I have a chance to start.''

A native of Washington, D.C., the 25-year-old Henry was fortunate to restart his football career. Every junior college turned him down until Henry found DuPage coach Fred Fimbres. Despite a solid career at the Glen Ellyn school, Henry's options were still limited. Kansas State made an offer, but most schools backed off when they heard the details about his past.

"If it was anyone else that didn't have my background, they'd have 30 scholarship offers,'' Henry said. "It was still hanging over my head.''

An offer from Illinois might have been what Henry wanted in the long run.

"There was several colleges that came in to see him,'' Fimbres said. "The assistant coaches told me there's no way they felt comfortable going to the head coach about him because of his conviction. I don't know if a college would have been in the running for him against Illinois anyway.''

Henry's track record on the field and off it at DuPage, coupled with the program's experience with his family, made the decision to accept him easier for Illinois.

A non-scholarship football program, DuPage gave Henry a chance, but he paid for his own housing and school fees, partially through federal grant money. Henry stayed out of trouble, but caused opposing teams plenty of trouble on the field.

He was an NJCAA All-American and earned first-team all-Midwest Conference after posting 96 tackles, three fumble recoveries (two returned for touchdowns) and four interceptions as a sophomore. Henry was named the league's east division defensive player of the year and his team's MVP.

Before Henry stepped on campus, his file reached the desk of Brian Farber, the associate dean of students at Illinois and the chairman of the admissions case review committee. The object is to protect students on campus while also giving a potential student an opportunity to change his life.

"With all cases, we try to evaluate the incident and its severity, particularly as it relates to potential danger that person poses to students or faculty/staff,'' Farber said.

It's rare for Farber to see applications of students with felony convictions. The committee investigates the person's support system, contributions in another community, checks for any repeat offenses and if probation was handled properly, but "predicting future behavior is difficult,'' Farber said.

"I know there is controversy with people who have a criminal past and what they do,'' Farber said. "I really feel that education provides another opportunity to change their lives. We want to provide that. We're a state institution. We have an obligation to educate the citizens of this state to become positive members of society.''

Had Henry not been Benn's older brother, this option might not have been there, Illinois coach Ron Zook admitted.

"If I didn't know what I know, know the background of the family and the whole situation, I can understand why people would be leery,'' Zook said. "It's a little different for him now. I would hope he'd be a contributor. He's got a great attitude. He's great in the locker room. He's an older guy who made some mistakes and learned from them. He can help with our younger guys.''

It wasn't by choice, he said, but Henry wears the same jersey -- No. 9 -- worn by Benn, who left after last season for the NFL. Henry awaits the arrival of his wife, Morgan, and daughter, Tatum, from Washington, D.C., this weekend. The family will reunite this summer, he said.

A sociology major, Henry plans to graduate, because pro football won't likely be calling for an aging rookie. But life is good after a bad decision years ago.

"I'm proud of where I've gotten,'' Henry said. "It's like you're climbing a steep hill. You've made it halfway. I really don't have time to look back.''

NOTES: The spring game format is essentially the first string against the reserves, although Zook planned to make some switches in the second half. The quarterbacks won't be live for contact. … Seating is on the east side of Memorial Stadium. Parking is also free. … Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden and New York Jets right guard Brandon Moore, a pair of former Illini, will serve as honorary coaches. … Illinois' game against Southern Illinois on Sept. 11 is a 6:30 p.m. kickoff with broadcast by the Big Ten Network.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.

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